Measuring the Floor Area of Buildings. Problems of Consistency and a Solution

Measuring the floor area of a building may seem a straightforward activity, but it is not. What to be included and what to be considered vary in virtually every country, and definitions such as GFA (gross floor area), NRA (net rentable area), etc. are also misleading as they are not consistent. In an era in which international actors contribute for projects in all major cities, having a consistent system to measure the floor area of a building is of the utmost importance. Consistent measurements allow not just for easier and better design, but also for the comparison of buildings, as the floor area is the nominator of all parameters of sustainability, energy consumption, construction cost, occupancy ratios, cleaning fees, etc.